Hat holder



. Ot. 20, 1936- L. D. FLETCHER ET AL HAT HOLDER Filed April 24, 1935 Zmoentons (Ittorneg Patented Oct. 20, 1936 HAT HOLDER Leonard D. Fletcher and John G. Krejci, Omaha, Nebr.

Application April 24, 1935, Serial No. 17,985

3 Claims.

This invention relates to devices for the transportation of hats and has for an object to provide means whereby a hat may be delivered to a user from a cleaner thereof in the shape and condition in which it leaves the cleaners hands or establishment.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device for use in conjunction with a hat box for preventing a hat from becoming altered in character during transportation from a consignor to a consignee.

l-leretofore as practiced in the art hats were commonly placed in a box such as or similar to the box indicated at Ill in the drawing and upon the lid being shut down the hat was delivered to its owner with the result that often the hat, incident to handling the box, would slide about therein and become crushed, soiled, mis-shaped and the like, resulting in displeasing the consignee incident to the appearance of a hat upon receiving the same, and the present invention contemplates the provision of an economical means for preventing the said undesired results.

With the foregoing and other objects in view the invention will be more fully described hereinafter and will be more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the drawing wherein like symbols refer to like or corresponding parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 shows a hat assembled in a hat box with the new device in a position of use, the lid of said box being raised.

Figure 2 is a transverse section taken substantially on the dotted line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a top plan View of the new device.

Referring now to the drawing for a more particular description, III indicates a hat box of any desired size, weight, and thickness of material, and of any desired contour in plan, provided with a lid II which may be secured to the main body portion of the box hingedly as at I2. The invention is shown in conjunction with a hat box of folding type such as is conventionally used by cleaning establishments.

The new device includes. a main body portion I3 or disk preferably formed of cardboard or the like and incised by means of a die to provide a perimeter or outer edges such as the edge I4 which conforms to the shape of the box Ill in plan and in the present illustration of the invention and box said parts are rectangular in plan.

The body portion I3 may be provided with apertures I5 or a cut-away portion indicated at I6 for purposes later described.

Centrally the body portion I3 is provided with an opening or aperture generally indicated at I! which may be circular or oval in plan and larger than the largest conventional hat size. From the inner edge I8 of the aperture II a plurality of 5 tangs I9 are provided as best shown in Figure 3. The tangs are radially disposed and flexible in character and normally lie within the plane of the main body portion I3 and are susceptible of being bent upwardly out of said plane in use. 10 The distance between oppositely disposed tangs is less than that of the smallest conventional hat size or about hat size 6.

In operation a hat such as the hat indicated at having a brim 2I is placed within the box 15 I0 and the new device placed over the hat, the crown of the latter being inserted through the aperture II, the operator moving the member I3 downwardly and firmly against the upper edge of the brim 2| and, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, 2 the tangs I9 become automatically adjusted to snugly fit against the side wall of the hat, the edge I4 of the new device I3 fitting snugly against the inner surface of the walls of the box III which in conjunction with the tangs I9 prevent the hat from having transverse and longitudinal sliding movements with respect to the box, the cover of the latter being closed by the operator for delivery of the whole to the consignee.

Upon opening the box the owner of the hat may readily remove it from the box by inserting his fingers through the apertures I5 or may insert his fingers underneath the member I3 adjacent the cut-away portion thereof indicated at I6 for facilitating a removal of the hat from the box. Whereupon the grip upon the hat by the tangs I9 may be released and the member I3 readily separated from the hat.

It is obvious that various changes and modifications may be made in the details of construction and design of the above specifically described embodiment of this invention without departing from the spirit thereof, such changes and modifications being restricted only by the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination, a hat box of rectangular configuration in plan adapted to completely encase a hat, and means for removably holding said hat within said box, said means comprising a rectangular disk of substantially the same area in plan as said box, the side edges of said disk adapted to snugly abut the side wall of said box for removably gripping the same when pressed toward the bottom of said box, said disk provided with a centrally disposed aperture for receiving the crown of a hat therethrough, radially disposed tangs extending from the marginal edge of said aperture, said tangs adapted to abut against the wall of the hat in more than two places for preventing both transverse and longitudinal sliding movements of said hat with respect to said box.

2. A hat protecting device for use in conjunction with a hat box of rectangular configuration in plan, comprising a rectangular cardboard disk of substantially the same area in plan as said box, the edges of said disk adapted to snugly abut the walls of the box when pressed toward the bottom of the latter, said disk having a central aperture adapted to receive the crown of a hat, and a plurality of flexible tangs radially disposed from the marginal edge of said aperture,

said tangs adapted to abut against the wall of the hat in more than two places for preventing both transverse and longitudinal sliding movements of said hat with respect to said box.

3. A hat holder for use in hat boxes, comprising a disk adapted to be forced down into the box and being proportioned to frictionally engage the walls of the box to hold the disk therein, said disk having a central aperture therethrough for receiving the crown of a hat and entirely enc1osing the crown, said disk also having a plurality of closely spaced apart flexible tangs extending inwardly from all sides of the marginal edge of the aperture for yieldably engaging the crown of the hat at all sides thereof to hold the hat from moving in any direction.

LEONARD D. FLETCHER. JOHN C. KREJCI. 

